Shopping for casual clothes at a nearby Uniqlo store has almost become a routine for Miwako Matsuo. But what the 30-year-old didn't realize was that nearly 80 percent of the winter clothing she bought was made in China.
Like Matsuo, many Japanese consumers have come to accept "Made in China" apparel, which used to have a reputation for shoddiness. The improvement in quality has helped, said Kazuyuki Matsui, a researcher at Yano Research Institute.
But the recent influx of low-priced products from China has given the domestic textile industry reason to push the government to slap an emergency import curb on the country.